Department of the Languages and Cultures of Japan and Korea

BA Japanese Studies

duration:

3 years

Fees 2017/18

UK/EU fees:

£9,250

Overseas fees:

£16,575

Fees for 2017/18 entrants. The fees are per academic year. Please note that fees go up each year.Further details can be found in the Fees and Funding tab on this page or in the Registry Undergraduate Tuition Fees page

2017 Entry requirements

No preliminary knowledge of the language is required.

Subjects Preferred: A foreign language at A level, or equivalent, is desirable but not essential.

Interview Policy: In principle all mature students, and all Japanese nationals and all students one of whose parents is Japanese are invited for interview.

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Overview

Structure

Teaching and Learning

Fees and funding

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Overview

Programme Code: T200 BA/Jap

Mode of Attendance: Full-time

This is a three-year degree taught entirely at SOAS (it does not include a year of study in Japan), and requires less intensive study of the Japanese language than the BA Japanese – a smaller number of language classes can be taken at various levels of proficiency from pure beginner to very advanced.

The degree provides wide-ranging coverage of disciplines taught by specialists in the Japan section (pre-modern and modern literature, theoretical and applied linguistics, history, religion, media studies and popular culture), and allows access to the disciplinary expertise of other Japan-related specialists across the school. It therefore enables students to structure their course of study with great flexibility, to develop their own individual interests.

The BA Japanese Studies degree is available as a single subject and joint subject degree.

In the final year, single–subject students write an Independent Study Project based on in-depth study in one of many possible fields using Japanese language sources.

Convenors

Key Information Set Data

Structure

Degree programmes at SOAS - including this one - can include language courses in more than forty African and Asian languages. It is SOAS students’ command of an African or Asian language which sets SOAS apart from other universities.

Year 1

Core Unit

Core modules must be passed in order to progress to the following year of study

The following modules require advanced language proficiency

'Memory and Militarism on Japanese TV' can only be taken in the final year of study.'Readings in Modern Japanese Literature' and 'Readings in Pre-modern Japanese Literature' can only be taken in year 2 or 3.

Scholarships

Employment

As a student specialising in Japanese, you will gain competency in language skills and intercultural awareness and understanding. Familiarity with the region will have been developed through a combination of the study of language, literature and culture (which can include literature, film, music, art and religion) of various parts of Japan.

Graduates leave SOAS not only with linguistic and cultural expertise, but also with a portfolio of widely transferable skills which employers seek in many professional and management careers in both business and the public sector. These include written and oral communication skills, attention to detail, analytical and problem-solving skills, and the ability to research, amass and order information from a variety of sources.

A Student's Perspective

SOAS is a unique institution not only through its degrees, but also through the diversity of people that you meet here. My department is more like a family, the teachers are warm and caring, and they know how to maintain our curiosity for learning new things.